Paris and Doha cement their "friendship" – Julie KEBBI

Paris and Doha are continuing their efforts to keep their relationship in good shape. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and French President Emmanuel Macron met yesterday at the Elysee Palace. This official visit of the Qatari sovereign in the French capital marks the third meeting between the two men since last December with the goal, according to the Elysee, "to deepen the very good relationship" between Mr. Macron and Sheikh Tamim .
"Qatar is for France a friendly country and a reliable partner," the French president said yesterday at a joint press conference with the emir. The latter, speaking in French, stressed the "importance" of "friendship" between the two countries. Beyond the links between Mr. Macron and his host, the relationship between France and Qatar extends on several levels. The small emirate is a major partner for France, while according to the Qatari government's communications office, trade between Paris and Doha amounted to 1.15 billion euros in 2017. The emirate also plays map of the Francophonie to get closer to France. Doha aims to be "the witness of the year of Franco-Qatari cultural relations" in 2020, says the office on its website.
During their interview, the emir and the president touched on many regional topics . "We first talked about the fight against terrorism, its financing and radicalization," said Macron, while the two countries have close cooperation in this area. They also signed a roadmap yesterday on this subject, without indicating its exact content. The hot issues were also discussed, namely "Iran, Yemen, Syria, the peace process in Palestine or Libya," he said, adding that Paris and Doha wanted " to increase their co-operation on the Libyan question, without giving more details.
The thorny question of the Gulf crisis, bogged down for a year, was also on the menu of the meeting. The behind-the-scenes talks to lift the blockade put in place by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt against Qatar on June 5, 2017, accused of funding "terrorism" and being too close to Iran, have not been conclusive, while each party camps on its positions. The crisis "must be resolved through dialogue," said the French leader. According to him, "there is regional stability in a context marked by increasing tensions". In this respect, "France will continue (…) to speak to all parties and to invite dialogue, moderation and reconciliation".

"Strategic relationship"
Paris tried several times to mediate between the parties, including the appointment of Bertrand Besancenot, former French ambassador to Riyadh, emissary for this conflict, last September. Adopting a "middle" position in the crisis, according to the Elysee, France remains faithful to its traditional diplomatic line, allowing Paris to appear as a reliable partner but able to talk to everyone.
Asked about the possibility of involving France in the mediation of the crisis, the French president explained that Paris would take "an initiative if at a given moment it is asked of us, if it is useful". "I consider that France's role is to continue the dialogue that we are conducting with all the parties, to isolate no one and not to exert any tension precisely to help at some point in the restabilization," he said. note. Mr. Macron also said he had once again "support" a mediation by Kuwait, the parties to the crisis having repeatedly indicated wanting to resolve the crisis only with regional actors. For Doha, this new visit is part of its efforts to boost its partnerships outside the Gulf and emancipate itself from the Saudi hand in the region. A will that has increased tenfold since the start of the blockade by Riyadh and its allies. Asked about the possibility of a Qatari purchase of Russian S-400 missiles, the Emir of Qatar confirmed that talks have taken place, but said "there is no agreement" on this issue for the moment. According to Le Monde news, Riyadh sent a letter last May to the French presidency asking Paris to put pressure on Doha so that it can not acquire this air defense system. Riyadh said it was ready to "take all the necessary actions" to prevent this scenario from happening.
In a tense regional context, the emirate has already turned to Paris, among others, to expand its military arsenal. The two countries already enjoy privileged military cooperation, although they signed a defense agreement in 1994 and French troops are stationed in the Qatari base of al-Udeid alongside the US Central Command. Qatar, which was the second largest importer of French arms in 2017 after Kuwait, signed military contracts worth more than $ 11 billion during Macron's visit to Doha last December. Twelve Rafale aircraft were then ordered, adding to the Qatari purchase of 24 Rafale in 2015. "This cooperation is not only industrial, but government-to-government," Macron said yesterday. "We have a strategic relationship that is driven by a vision and common goals," he insisted. Qatari-based QNA news agency on Thursday posted photos on Twitter of the Emir's visit to the Qatari Rafale squadron at the Mont-de-Marsan military base, accompanied by French Defense Minister Florence Parly. "They discussed the links of military cooperation and defense between the State of Qatar and France and ways to strengthen them," the agency reported.

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